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here's something i think you know like i'm going to go and tell you about how
far xx news
distorts
statistics using graphs this is a greeley great post over it simply
statistics dot orig
where we've individually covered almost every single one of these willis over
time
but they've really put them together to show us how fox news really distorts and
use that uses statistics okay
let's put up number one the time
uh... the federal welfare received in the u_s_ craft now this is a classic
foxnews tactic ware if they want to
it appears as though there's been a dramatic increase somewhere typically
somewhere that makes
uh... president all bomb a look bad or a democrat looked at what will do is build
truncate the y_ axis
so if you look at this it looks like we have a dramatic increase louis over time
but when you actually look
at the label on the left side of the crap you see that this doesn't started
zero this is a graph that only encompasses ninety four million
to a hundred and eight million so we're really talking about a tiny little
increase here
completely messed with the proportions and it and the perspective
it looks like look at that federal welfare is blown up
unsurprising didn't god take it
but the steps further
just eliminate the one only in the
and the ninety-four you've heard of the numbers all the other right right so
let's look at the other one where they do this this is the second graph
this is a if the bush tax cuts expire and this is a similar tactic that was
done here
where they actually i hope we have the right one at the time
uh... we're actually thirteen are coming up so not all the mechanical
so can we put up for screener what would we have going on
yell pitiful swim
so we have the if the bush tax cuts expire full-screen this is the exact
same thing this time the y_ axis
is labeled on the right side in you see that wild look at that huge increase in
the top tax rate if the bush tax cuts expired it's like five times as big a
list
or well actually
the entire chart only goes from thirty four to forty two so there's one
another tactic that they do i believe this is number three in the time
what if the numbers just don't add up i don't know
if this one is intentional or not but it happens all the time on fox news and
it's where they put up a poll with the numbers just don't add up to one hundred
percent now sometimes this can be because
people are asked to check all that apply which of course makes these percentages
far less valuable in even evaluating the information
uh... there's a number of other reasons why can happen but certainly can be to
make it seem like there is a overwhelming or under welding support
for sending the fox want to point out
so here's an example
good scientist ball falsify research to support their own theories on global
warming fifty nine percent say it's somewhat likely thirty five percent say
it's very likely twenty-six prescription say it's not very likely
just doesn't add up doesn't make any sense lewis
another example of that if we go to the pipe chart anton
this is called you people back in the twenty twelve presidential run
republican candidates and as you can see sixty-three percent back huckabee
seventy percent back palance sixty percent back romney
completely misleading in the sense that you're basically polling to say would
you back this person an obviously people can support more than one the idea that
any of these candidates have this level of support is just false
misleading
adjust just flat-out misleading list right now it is that is the other ones
because you're talking about three
republican candidates uh...
i mean it's in-store misleading no question about it let's go to another
example which fox likes to do which is changing the units of comparison so
here's a graph and you really have to look at this carefully to finalize
when two things are likely to be very similar
one approach is to just present the numbers in different unit so here's an
example
we're total spending for twenty ten to twenty thirteen is compared to deficits
in two thousand eight okay this is kind of an example of not labeling the axes
so
you see
numbers uh... two thousand eight
three point two percent was spending as a share of g_d_p_
in two thousand nine ten point one percent spending as the share of g_d_p_
and then you see from twenty ten to twenty thirteen
you're seeing in aberration number and comparing those back to forty three
forty four and nineteen forty-five it just confusing it's just confusing and
its eighty it's either deliberate or stupidity and in either case you
shouldn't be trusting the stuff
i think in most cases the story brick is accepted
let's go to the next example this is the unemployment rate said this is a classic
this is
changing the magnitude of the units
at different exit out is so if you look at this chart of the unemployment rate
under president obama
you see that the changes in magnitude at the high expel use
are higher than the changes in magnitude at the lower exit out use this is
actually
just a technique for a for bushing viewers in one direction
look louis at the end of it
see how there's the last two pts figures are nine point though
and eight point six
that's a difference of point four
the the the the graphical representation is almost identical
however
if you look at the beginning look at the change from eight point eight ten nine
point though it's only a changing point to yet there's a huge debt yeah there's
a huge increase exactly in the graphic of it downright misleading ladies and
gentlemen
uh... yet on what the next graphs i make sure that we're going to the right one
um... the thing is the next graph the last one isn't working
than that life is at work job lost a quarter job loss by quarter is the one i
want to be looking at and we put up for screen this time
so here's another one
this is changing trends
by sub sampling expel you so here's a graphic shows unemployment rates over
time
and here it is uh... as you can see here
you've got december of of seven
through september of over eight to march of oh nine to june of twenty times that
were basically literally just this is literally cherry picking you just
picking four bullet points and putting them up there and then notice that at
the top it says job loss by quarter
and at the bottom you see
between the first two plot points
uh... that's updates like nine months
and then between the second to plot points
uh... it's only six-month seven-month like what's going on to the grass is
literally make no sense yeah completely there just to give people the wrong idea
dot
the the facts and yet so again if you're are aware of these tactics hopefully
they will be less effective
on distorting information for you